Here's what Microsoft acquiring Zenimax Media and Bethesda Softworks means for mobile

Microsoft has bought Zenimax Media and its game publisher, Bethesda Softworks, for a reported $7.5 billion.
In an Xbox Wire blog post, studio head Phil Spencer announced that the company had entered an agreement to acquire Zenimax Media, along with all its properties including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout and DOOM.

“Today is a special day, as we welcome some of the most accomplished studios in the games industry to Xbox. We are thrilled to announce Microsoft has entered into an agreement to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda Softworks,” Spencer wrote in the blog post.

“Just as they took the bold first steps to bring The Elder Scrolls franchise to the original Xbox, Bethesda were early supporters of Xbox Game Pass, bringing their games to new audiences across devices and have been actively investing in new gaming technology like cloud streaming of games. We will be adding Bethesda’s iconic franchises to Xbox Game Pass for console and PC.”

This means we could see many Bethesda games coming to mobile through the Xbox Game Pass app, allowing players to play games at console-level graphics using streaming technology. Skyrim being on every platform is already a bit of a meme, but it’s certainly possible we’ll be playing it on our smartphones in the not too distant future.

Microsoft has reportedly spent $7.5 billion on the acquisition, according to the official press release. This also means that Doom, which was a centrepiece for Google Stadia, could now become an exclusive to Xbox’s cloud streaming ecosystem.